Purpose of Medical Assistant Externship

Your Point of Transition

The medical assistant's externship is a very important part of the transition from being a student to becoming a qualified medical assistant. Student medical assistants on externship should not be treated as paid employees and are NOT sent to the externship site to function as unpaid help for mundane tasks. The medical assistant expernship serves as an unpaid practicum to help student medical assistants to solidify and refine skills lerned in the classroom in an actual medical office work environment.

Medical Assistants On Externship

First off, remember that the externship has to do with YOU! This is the point where expectations and responsibilities shift over from the instructor to the student. It is the student's chance to put everything that was taught in the classroom to practical use in a real medical office environment. What a chance to show some muscle and step up to the task!!!

Beginning the Externship: The medical assistant externship works similarly to an internship, but is much shorter in duration. The externship is the final step of the training right before graduation from the program.

HOT TIP: Begin your organizational habits early. Buy a small notepad that easily fits into your pocket and begin to make lists of things that are important to remember. Make a list of equipment that you will need. Make a list of questions that you will need answered. There will be an overwhelming avalanche of information that you will be responsible for—fact is that it is almost impossible to remember every little detail. 

Responsibilities

The medical assistant student on externship should never stand around waiting and doing nothing! Rather, externs should be looking for tasks that are appropriate to their abilities; and if they cannot pinpoint what to do next, the best thing is to ask. Someone will be happy to show them, and they should also receive feedback about their performance.

The Evaluation: At the middle and end of each term, the school will ask the externship site supervisor for a written evaluation of the extern's work, attitude, and over-all performance. Once externs have completed their assignments, feedback on both reliability and task performance is an essential component of the student's final evaluation by the school. It determines whether the student will be allowed to graduate, or not.

Upon Completion: Upon completion of the externship experience, be sure to leave some copies of your resume with the office manager, so that if any job opportunities arise at that place they will be able to reach you. You should also mention that you'd appreciate it if they were to pass your resume along should they know of a position at another office. If you left a good impression they will be more than happy to do this for you.

  The Externship Site